A BIG NEW SUNSPOT: A new sunspot is rotating over the sun's eastern limb, and it's a big one. Provisionally numbered AR2738, the dark core is nearly three times wider than Earth. The sunspot is inset in this ultraviolet image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which also shows the region's towering magnetic canopy:
The magnetic polarity of AR2738 identifies it as a member of old Solar Cycle 24. Apparently, the decaying solar cycle still has some potency even as it nears its end. Can this sunspot produce strong flares? We won't know until it turns more directly toward Earth in the days ahead. Then we can see more clearly the structure of its magnetic field and evaluate the potential for explosiveness.
Meanwhile, amateur astronomers with safe solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments. Aurora alerts: SMS text, email.
ROCKETS DUMP CHEMICALS INTO NORTHERN LIGHTS: On Friday night (April 5th) in northern Norway, scientists at the Andøya Space Center launched two sounding rockets into an ongoing display of Northern Lights. When they dumped their payloads of chemical powders, the sky went wild with strangely-colored shapes. Frank Olsen photographed squid-like figures dancing over a beach near Andenes, Norway:
"Often canceled and rescheduled, this rocket launch has been planned for a year," says Olsen. "How lucky we were to be there at the right time."
The name of the rocket mission is AZURE--short for Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment. Its goal is to measure winds and currents in the ionosphere, a electrically-charged layer of the Earth's atmosphere where auroras appear. Specifically, mission scientist are interested in discovering how auroral energy might percolate down toward Earth to influence the lower atmosphere.
At the Alomar Observatory in northern Norway, space scientist Jason Ahrns used video cameras to track the motions of the clouds:
"I'm one of the scientists working with this launch, so we knew exactly when to expect it," says Ahrns. "Even so, we were all stunned by how spectacular the display was, as it unfolded."
The twin rockets deployed two chemical tracers: trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and a barium/strontium mixture. These mixtures create colorful clouds that allow researchers to visually track the flow of neutral and charged particles, respectively. According to NASA, which funded the mission, the chemicals pose no hazard to residents in the region.
A MOTHER'S DAY GIFT FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: It's sterling silver and it comes from space. On March 22nd, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew a cosmic ray balloon to the stratosphere, more than 119,400 feet above Earth's surface. This "Eternal Love" Mother's Day pendant went along for the ride:
You can have one for $129.95. The students are selling these pendants as a fund-raiser for their cosmic ray monitoring program. The pendant is made of sterling silver and the mother holding her baby inside the heart is plated in gold.
Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again.
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